KQED's The California Report

Criminal justice advocates and some incarcerated individuals have filed a lawsuit against the California prison system. What’s at issue? Policies, the plaintiffs argue, that illegally discriminate against inmates who prison officials believe are foreign-born.Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQEDThe California Report Magazine is wrapping up their series “Mixed! Stories of Mixed Race Californians,” with a conversation with comedian W. Kamau Bell, and his wife, Melissa Hudson Bell. The couple have a new HBO film ‘1000 Percent Me’ - where Kamau Bell asks mixed race children about their experiences.Reporters: Sasha Khokha and Marisa Lagos, The California Report Magazine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California is set to see one of its first extended heat waves. That could mean major problems for parts of the state, where flooding is likely from a melting snowpack. Among the communities on edge is Corcoran in the Central Valley, which is already surrounded by rising water.Guest: Joshua Yeager, Reporter, KVPRAs California wages its fight against smog and climate change, state regulators this week will vote on a plan to start phasing out diesel truck fleets -- from delivery vans, to garbage trucks, to 18-wheelers. The regulators want to see them replaced with zero emission vehicles.Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Wednesday in Sacramento, lawmakers will hold a hearing on legislation aimed at creating buffer zones between homes and huge warehouses and logistic centers where companies, like Amazon, store and distribute mountains of goods that a lot of us might order online.  This is the latest development in an ongoing debate over warehouses and the health threats they might pose to people who live near them. The center of that debate is the Inland Empire, east of Los Angeles.Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQEDBuckle in for a long summer when it comes to the threat of flooding. That’s what Governor Gavin Newsom told people Tuesday in the San Joaquin Valley, while standing atop a dirt levee holding back millions of gallons of floodwater.Reporter: Joshua Yeager, KVPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Weather forecasters expect an early-season heatwave this week in many parts of the state. The warmth may cause flooding as the snowpack melts in inland areas of California.Reporter: Ezra David Romero, KQEDOn the best of days, agricultural work isn’t easy, but in recent years, California farmworkers, in places like the San Joaquin Valley, have also had to deal with record heat waves, wildfires and more recently storms and flooding. But because of chronic illnesses, agricultural laborers also face a growing health crisis.Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPRAs another wildfire season looms, a federal judge will soon decide whether there should be limits on how firefighters drop chemical retardant onto large blazes. Environmentalists say the retardant pollutes rivers, streams and lakes. But some lawmakers and residents in areas of the state prone to wildfires say the retardant saves lives and properties.Reporter: Jamie Jiang, North State Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The California Air Resources Board, which regulates car and truck pollution in the state, will soon fully open its new laboratory and emissions testing center in the Southern California city of Riverside. It's expected to play a crucial role in the state's fight against pollution and climate change.Reporter: Saul Gonzalez, The California ReportA U.S. citizen from Imperial County, who was held in immigration detention for over a year, most of it in solitary confinement, is suing the private prison company that detained him.Reporter: Tyche Hendricks, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein has been one of the most popular politicians in California. Now 89-years-old and recovering in San Francisco from a bout of shingles, she’s facing calls to resign.Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQEDAs communities across the state grapple with the long-term impacts of recent floods, added challenges are coming to light. Storm water has flushed more fertilizer and manure into aquifers, which could pollute drinking water in much of the state.Reporter: Alastair Bland, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings face off in Game Three of their playoff series Thursday night. While the team's have a growing rivalry on the court, they share one thing in common off it. They have two of the most fervent fanbases in the NBA, that stretches across Northern California. Reporter: Andrew Saintsing, KALWA California bill that just passed the Senate Labor Committee would expand the paid sick leave most employers must offer from at least three days per year, to seven.Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many of the renter protections California set up during the pandemic have gone away. But in Los Angeles, one big one has stuck around: rent increases are still banned for most of the city’s tenants. However, some landlords don't know about LA’s rent freeze — and renter complaints are at a 10-year high. Reporter: David Wagner, LAistThe U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide on Wednesday whether or not a common abortion drug will remain available. while a case challenging its safety makes its way through the court.Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For families whose loved ones are facing a mental health crisis, it can be hard to be optimistic, especially when resources are scarce. In Humboldt County, there's a proposal to create an emergency mental health care facility.Reporter: Jane Vaughan, Jefferson Public RadioDuring the pandemic, many people gained access to Medicaid, the low to no cost health insurance. But now, with pandemic protections ending, states are beginning to re-examine people’s eligibility.Reporter: Kate Wolffe, CapRadio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Families who once lived in a Palm Springs neighborhood are seeking reparations. Decades ago, the city forcibly evicted the mostly Black and Latino residents from their homes — and leveled the area. Reporter: Leslie Berestein Rojas, LAist  The state’s Dream for All housing program aimed to give first-time home buyers a leg-up, especially those in communities often priced out of the market. As we reported last week, funding for the new program ran dry in less than two weeks. But it's unclear if the money actually went to buyers who needed it most.Reporter: Ben Christopher, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices